The Circumambulation of Mt. Tamalpais

D A V I D R O B E R T S O N U n iv e r s ity o f C a l i f o r n i a , D a v i s T h e C ircu m a m b u la tio n o f M t. T a m a lp a is P R E L U D E J O U R N A L S o m e tim e in th e la te 1 9 8 0 s D a v is H a d lu n c h to d a y a t th e C offee H o u s e w ith s tu d e n t fr o m W ild e rn e ss lit class. W e s a t a t a ta b le n e a r th e e n tr a n c e to th e bakery. H e s a id , “ I k n o w w h a t to d o in th e city, n o t j u s t to f i l l u p tim e, b u t to exp erien ce th e p la c e . I g o o u t o n a tra il, a n d I ’m a t a loss. I t ’ s d iffe re n t, a ll rig h t. T h e scen ery is g r a n d . [H e re he w a v e d h is h a n d in a s w e e p in g a rc a b o v e h is h e a d .] B u t w h a t d o I d o ? H o w d o I m a k e n a tu r e h a p p e n to m e ? ” S T A G E I F ir st o f a ll, W IL D T H I N G S . P o is o n o a k , tic k s, a n d r a t t le s n a k e s in h a b it T a m a lp a is . Y o u d o n ’t w a n t to t o u c h t h e first; y o u d o n ’t w a n t t h e o t h e r tw o to b it e y o u . It is g o o d lu c k w h e n a r a ttle s n a k e v is its y o u a t a c o m f o r t a b le d is t a n c e . J O U R N A L M a y 1 1 , 1 9 9 1 R e d w o o d C reek P a r k e d in th e A n n e x a t M u i r W o o d s. T w o g a rb a g e c a n s w ere a m o n g u s a s w e s a id , a lm o s t together, W e lc h ’s “T h is is th e la s t p la c e to go. ” O n th e p a v e m e n t, u n d e r th e g re a t, o ld C a lifo r n ia B a y, a f e w fe e t fr o m w h ere D ip s e a T r a il, o n its w a y fr o m M i l l V alley to S tin s o n B ea ch , crosses R e d w o o d C reek, o n its w a y fr o m m o u n ta in to o...